It's always amazing when a band you've grown up with make an appearance in a place you've grown up in.
And the Brand New Heavies definitely made the most of their stop-off at Herne Bay even taking time to "Spend Some Time" by the seafront, devouring fish and chips.
It must have been the ideal fuel for an amazing live set which commenced with a couple of old favourites including "Back To Love" and "Sometimes".
All the members were on great form including Jan Kincaid, a rare-breed of drummer/vocalist.
Simon Bartholemew on guitar, who resulted in me screaming "Turn it up to 11!" (Sorry Simon) And performing lead vocals, Dawn Joseph, with not just an amazing voice, but a great set of outfits.
Where on earth did the time go? As well as old favourites such as "Stay This Way", and "Midnight At The Oasis", we were also treated to live renditions from the new album "Forward" including the singles "Sunlight" and "Addicted". Like the Omar gig I was at last week, they've proven that it's been worth the 7 year wait, and have come back with a belter. The encore was my personal highlight, made up of two BNH belters, "You Are The Universe" and the amazing "Dream Come True". Overall the night provided a great crowd, fantastic musicianship, and no sign of a drop in energy.
Last Sunday Blam Jam celebrated 150 shows with an hour of tunes made up of very little words, and in some cases, just a load of random but entertaining noises emitted from the mouth.
The audio can be heard here, and let's take a closer look into the oral delights...
Players Association - "I Like It" A sessions band from New York who had a big impact on the US and UK disco scene, with infectious rhythms and very little lyrics, perhaps best known for the floorfiller "Turn The Music Up". This offering "I Like It" comes from the band's debut album from 1977, setting the benchmark for jazzy disco, and still pulls in the mature movers. Kitty Winter - "New Morning" A tune brought to public light on Gilles Peterson's "Talkin Jazz" compilation released in the mid 90s, becoming known in some circles as the "Clap Clap" song.
Later covered by Quantic and the Combo Barbaro in 2009. Earth Wind and Fire - "Runnin" One of many winners from the band's 1977 LP "All 'N' All", clinging on to the band's jazz roots around a time when they were gradually converting to a more mainstream soul sound.
Philip Bailey's scat vocals are on fine form, and the improvising halfway through takes the listener on a crazy euphoric ride. Ned Doheny - "To Prove My Love" One that fits into the "almost instrumental" selection, as the vocals consist of just the song title and tightly-positioned scatting in the refrain. Ned Doheny himself being a guitarist and one of the West Coast's well recognised musicians. Victoria Urusova - "Sunny Day"
Proof if needed that jazz scatting is still prominent in present day recordings, from the Russian singer and musician.
El Coco - "Let's Get It Together"
Not recognised as much for it's lack of lyrics, but moreso as a crowd pleaser at the Caister Soul Weekenders in Norfolk with it's own dance steps.
A routine it shares with Whigfield's "Saturday Night" in not being able to stick to 4/4 time.
Ella Fitzgerald - "One Note Samba"
One of the masters of the art form, a scatting tour-de-force, as recorded live by Ella and her players at the Cave Supper Club in 1968.
This rendition of the Antonio Carlos Jobim standard is one where, it's OK to laugh even if you trying hard not to do so.
And yes, she does break into "Sailor's Hornpipe" 56 seconds into the song.
George Benson - "Fingerlero"
How could we leave this man out?
Not just a stunner at scatting but unique in being able to synchronise his singing by playing the exact notes on his guitar at the same time.
This one's from his most recent LP "Guitar Man" and when it comes to jazz guitarists, Benson takes some beating. The Heath Brothers - "Dreaming"
Very popular rare groove instrumental, featuring the sax playing of Jimmy Heath and produced by Mtume, best known for the song "Juicy Fruit". Cleo Laine and Dudley Moore - "Strictly For The Birds"
When it comes to scat-singing Cleo Laine is normally the first singer who springs into people's minds for the right or wrong reasons.
In this delightful duet with Dudley Moore (who also penned this tune) the pair show off what can be done with just a piano and very little in the way of words. Guida De Palma - "Aldeia De Ogum"
Translated as "Village Of Ogum" Guida does a fine job with the Brazilian jazz offering originally recorded by Joyce, as recently sampled by Lack Of Afro on their forthcoming release "Carnival". Swing Out Sister - "Coney Island Man" Best known for the mid 80s hit "Breakout", this offering from Corrine and Andy's 1989 album "Kaleidoscope World" pays homage to the easy-listening sound inspired by acts such as The 5th Dimension, and showcases Corrine's scatting to it's finest.
Also worth checking out the live version on their "Jazz Cafe" album where the song is "mashed up" with Burt Bacharach's "Wives And Lovers". Incognito - "Colibri" Maysa Leak provides the vocals on what has become a fan-favourite at the Cog's live gigs.
The rhythm and bassline penned by Richard Bull owe a nod to Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin's "Unicorn", and the song itself was inspired from a David Attenborough documentary on the hummingbird of the same name. Blam Jam returns this Sunday from 6pm with the return of the usual features.
In the last month I've been to a wide range of different gig venues.
From a spacious warehouse in East London, to a very crowded pub, and even one inside a railway station. But none of the venues can come close in terms of brilliance,
and excellent acoustics than the Union Chapel in Islington,and it was there I saw Andreya Triana and her band perform live to an appreciative audience.
Warming up for Andreya was the superb Grey Reverend, a top musician from New York, also part of the Ninja Tune family.
And the warm-up set went relatively well until the final song where Larry to give him his real name, forgot his words which the audience and luckily Larry himself saw the funny side of.
I very quietly starting singing "Oh, Shit, I, Fucked Up!" as quoted from Thundercat's latest record, as it seemed to match the mood and Larry's humour flowed through the chapel leading to a strong finish.
Then after a short interval, Andreya and her band made their entrance and commenced an amazing set consisting of old and new material.
For an artist who's commonly associated with electronic music it was really good to see all live and acoustic instruments in use and at the same time, it felt really forward looking, and gave off a really unique brand of tunes that don't seem to get heavy exposure deserved from a wider audience.
And you wouldn't want a cacophony of distracting sounds to turn you away from such a stunning voice, that has you wondering why are there programmes on television with so-called "experts" searching for such an instrument?
In addition to old favourites from Triana's 2010 debut "Lost Where I Belong" we heard a few new offerings from her forthcoming album including one tune that I am currently obsessed with, "Song For A Friend".
In fact before the live show, Miss Triana tweeted for attendees to get their smartphones out and video the performance of said song, and er, here's my attempt...
Yes, the picture quality's not perfect but the song itself, wow.
I really hope it wasn't just me videoing the above, as it sounds even more meaningful performed live and with the amazing acoustics of the Union Chapel adding something more special to it.
The musicians were on top form as well, I didn't get many photos of them due to the low lighting, but they included a horn section and a string section and even a glockenspiel was involved.
Andreya herself also showed off her abilities providing additional percussion, and accompanying herself with a zither in the encore.
I am genuinely excited for the upcoming release of the new album and with three more London dates lined up for the summer and a spot at Lovebox, get yourself over to one of them. And you'll be rewarded with musical brilliance and not an electric cable or vocal enhancer in sight.
